1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a workflow management system for a telecommunications corporation and more particularly to a workflow management system for managing and tracking new telecommunications Service Orders from order entry through provisioning and testing.
2. Related Art
Processing telecommunication Service Orders, from the time they are requested by customers, to the time they are implemented in the network, is an intricate and complicated process involving numerous activities that must be completed by various groups within a telecommunications company. Generally, many of these activities depend on one another in that they cannot begin until others are completed. This interdependency between workflow activities and the various telecommunication organizations, make it difficult to process telecommunication Service Orders in an economical and efficient manner.
Conventionally, processing telecommunication Service Orders is largely a manual process where Service and Work Orders (collectively and individually referred to as orders), are manually transferred from one organization to the next as tasks are completed. The transfer of these orders is generally accomplished via internal mail, facsimile, electronic messages and the like. Typically, such organizations receive little or no advance notice about orders before they arrive, and therefore have little or no time to plan and prepare for the activities involved.
Further, if an order is held up in an organization, for one reason or another, it is difficult to determine the reasons for delay and the identity of the group which is responsible for the delay. Often, telecommunication companies only find out about a delay when customers complain that a service has not been installed by the Customer Committed Due Date. Clearly, when this occurs it is too late to maintain customer satisfaction.
Therefore, what is needed is an efficient and economical system and method for processing telecommunication orders and for managing and tracking the workflow associated with processing orders for telecommunication services.
Accordingly, the present invention provides a system and method for managing the workflow associated with processing Service Orders for a telecommunications company. The present invention provides a focal point for the various organizations within the telecommunications company. A central location is provided processing orders, viewing status, and for the dissemination of information to the various organizations within the company. Such organizations include for example, service provisioning, order control, field operations, and business/management groups. In addition, other organizations, both inside and outside the telecommunications company, can access information pertaining to outstanding Service Orders.
The present invention provides a means to coordinate all of the tasks and activities related to order processing among the various entities within the telecommunications company. When a task associated with a Service Order is ready to begin, notification is sent to the appropriate computer systems associated with the task. Similarly, when the task is complete, the system is automatically notified, so that the next task can begin. The present invention provides a means for organizations to view current status for Service Orders, even before they are notified to begin activities associated with the Service Order. In this fashion, telecommunication personnel can plan ahead and prepare for future activities.
The present invention monitors activities for task completion status and maintains accountability of order status. In this fashion, if an order is delayed, the telecommunication company employees can immediately determine the cause of the delay so that corrective action can be taken before the delay becomes critical.
A primary feature of the present invention is to monitor and control the processing of orders. In addition, the present invention records related processing information and reports on the status of orders as they traverse through the various computer systems of the telecommunications company.
Work Plans are used to model business procedures used for processing Service Orders. Each Work Plan comprises a plurality of workflow steps. Business process models are depicted as workflow diagrams. The workflow diagrams are stored in a library in a database. Work Plans comprising a plurality of workflow steps and associated data are derived from information found in the workflow diagrams.
Whenever a Service Order is received the present invention selects the appropriate Work Plan to process that order based on information contained within the Service Order itself. Each workflow step is assigned a Resource and is scheduled for completion. The workflow steps are then placed within in-boxes associated with the assigned Resource. Once the processing steps have been scheduled, a current work step is calculated. Resources are individuals, groups and/or computer systems Once the processing steps have been scheduled for a Service Order, the present invention monitors each work step throughout the process, communicates with the appropriate systems to notify them of pending work, and records detailed statistical information for audit and reporting purposes. Information exchange is preferably accomplished through messaging.
The primary features of a preferred embodiment of the present invention include:
Receipt of work requests;
Prioritization, scheduling, and work assignment;
Resource allocation according to defined parameters;
Coordination and tracking of work execution;
Completion and close out of work steps;
Management reports reflecting the effectiveness of the workforce management and work administration processes; and
Management of the interfaces to the various systems and other processes that depend on an embodiment of the present invention.
Once a workflow step is made current, notification messages are sent to the appropriate systems to notify them to begin the activity associated with the current workflow step. The system is then automatically notified when the current work step is completed, so that the next work step can be processed in a similar fashion. Detailed statistical information is maintained for audit and reporting purposes.
Users can log-on to remote workstations attached to a company-wide Intranet or the like. From the remote workstations, users from various organizations can view their in-boxes and other information about current Service Orders. Such information includes detailed information about the Service Orders including, progress data, current, future and past workflow step data, responsible groups, computer systems and organizations, whether schedules are maintained, and whether Jeopardy points have been missed.
If a Service Order is delayed, users can immediately determine information about the delay and take corrective action before it becomes critical. Workflow steps can be transferred and re-assigned using the remote workstations. Detailed statistical information is maintained for audit and reporting purposes. Reports reflecting the effectiveness of workforce management and work administration is obtained.
In addition, the present invention provides system administrative functions such as system reports, history file and control, and system security.